LEWISTON — Lisbon’s win streak came to an end Friday at the hands of a determined Lewiston squad.
The Blue Devils, seeded third, defeated the Greyhounds, the No. 6 seed, 42-30 in the South quarterfinals of the Unified basketball playoffs at Lewiston High School.
Lisbon, the defending state Unified champion and three-time regional winner, finished 5-4, while Lewiston (7-2) will face second-seeded Westbrook in a semifinal.
After a close first half that saw the host Devils leading 18-16 at the break, Lewiston’s Hunter Landry and Breck Gagnon took over, with Gagnon scoring six quick points to open the second frame off of Landry setups. Gagnon had a game-high 13 points in the win, with Landry dishing out five assists and pulling in six rebounds.
“He is a great player and we just really work well together,” said Landry, who kept his ear-to-ear smile showing after the win. “It is one of the best experiences that I have ever had. I love it. It is a great environment with a lot of positivity. They realize that they defeated a good Lisbon team.”
“Yeah, it is tough to lose, but this experience over these last four years will stay with me forever,” Lisbon student-coach Jonah Sautter said.
The opening salvo of the second half carried Lewiston, which stretched its lead out to 10 points (28-18) on a layup by Theresa Morin midway through the frame.
Lisbon stayed within striking distance behind the play of Dawson Martel, who not only scored a team-high 10 points, but battled the taller Blue Devils inside throughout the contest.
Back-and-forth
Neither team took control in the first half, with five ties. Lisbon’s only lead was 2-0 when Michael Farrington scored inside. Wesley Lucas was a Greyhound presence, tallying six first-half points, with Farrington adding four, and Martel, Lynn Feely and Misty Coleman chipping in a bucket each.
On the other side, Gagnon paced the Blue Devils with six points in the opening 20 minutes, while Morin and Hawa Doorow picked up four points apiece. Nick Allen-Smith and Edwin Rivera also scored for Lewiston.
Sautter, who has been practicing for the McDonald’s All-Star Basketball Classic in Bangor, drove two hours to the Unified game today, arriving moments before the opening tip, then headed back north for tonight’s banquet.
“I knew that I was going to be in Bangor today, but I said that I couldn’t miss this game today. I had to be here for not only them, but for myself as well. This was special, working with these kids for the last four years. It is something I will always remember,” Sautter said.
Trailing 32-24, Lisbon made one final push, drawing to 34-28 on a putback by Lucas Francis.
However, Allen-Smith’s banking 3-pointer, the game’s only trey, pushed Lewiston into the driver’s seat. Allen-Smith had nine second-half points to pace the Blue Devils, finishing with 11, while Morin tallied 10 points. Tommy Turgeon had five rebounds, while Noah Dixon picked up three steals.
Francis had a solid game for Lisbon, pulling in seven rebounds, dishing out four assists and picking up four steals. Noah and Nick Austin both had five caroms, with Jack Tibbetts finishing with six rebounds.
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